"ZeN Says that Marvel Rules... So Dig into This Book.. To Find Out Why"

In the world of comix there is two giants that rule the world.. D.C. and Marvel. Many enjoy D.C. because they can take pleasure in reading about characters that are mighty in stature and more than mere human.. most famous are "Superman", "Batman", and the Amazonian Queen "Wonder Woman". Yet for me, it is much more pleasing to read about the type of hero that must struggle with relatable problems. Which is why, I greatly gravitate, towards Marvel. Marvel is the producer of many characters that hold special powers and abilities, but must deal with them, while also dealing with many regular life dilemmas. They encompass feelings that we understand much too well. Precise examples are "Spiderman" and "The Fantastic Four". Unlike many D.C. persona's that are close to being gods and revel in supreme powers, these Marvel heros seem much more mortal and many times feel as if possessing power, is more a curse than a blessing.

Since I find the Marvel Universe to be so engaging. I opted to read a little.. er big'ol book called: "The Marvel Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide To The Marvel Universe". Let me tell you.. this slab of comix content, is about as informative about the marvel world as anything found on the market.. Any info desired about a favorite character is easily found.. Plus, it also gives, a galore of content on those that are lesser known.

This Marvel Encyclopedia is written so that anyone, can read and understand. If you have little knowledge about comic books and the Marvel world.. I suggest that you read this book, so as to get a quick and rather fun rundown of its world.

This book is A to Z. It is easy to directly and easily find a particular character that you seek for. It holds concise content on all the mayor players from "The Avengers" to "X-Men" or "Cap" to "Spidey". But.. also you can find interesting and useful content on little know characters.

For Example:

Im sure you knew that opposite "Hulk", there is a "She-Hulk". Yet, were you aware that opposite "The Thing", there is the "She-Thing"? I ask that, because I myself, did not know that. It was interesting being able to read up on a character that otherwise, I would be found in the dark about.

This volume is most surely a great item to purchase. It is solid in giving you piles of details, but it is beautifully delivered in a firm form. It does not bore you with a long drawn out history.. it only fortifies you, with a nice punch of information. Enough for you to get caught up on a character or narrative event.

This book is splendid because it gives you a taste of what is going on now.. but also delivers the goods on what happened before. When it gives you the history of a character it takes you back. It takes you to the origin point. So, if you are reading about a character that was born in the 70's, it delivers a dose of how the character has progress through time. How the hero or villain, has changed, and where they stand in current story events.

A nice little portion of the book specifically focuses on each decade, and how the look of Marvel has evolved thru time.

Other fine things about this Encyclopedia are:

1.) It holds art of true beauty. Showing off different types of artistic methods.. it shows the many looks of characters. Some being loud, colorful, captivating and others being a bit dull but important because of its historical meaning.

2.) Also it can aid those who are planning on viewing some of the current Marvel movies that are being released. For Example: If you see "Ghost Rider" and want to see how it matched up with its comix story lines.. this book is perfect for that. Or.. The sequel to "The Fantastic Four" will include "The Silver Surfer". He is a fantastic hero.. and this book can display why that is a fact.

"The Marvel Encyclopedia" is a superb way to learning about many Marvel hero's and villains. Plus, you get the low down on most of the major story lines that have occurred. It holds valuable information for those planning on reading any current material. Plus, if you just want to look at the purty pictures.. Its purty good, just for that too!

(While the book is invaluable for those who are big fans the $25 that it cost, may prove too grand for some.. but when it comes to its knowledge value.. it is a worthy item to peruse..)

ZeN